Transition zone shaking

[JCT-DK]

I have mentioned it in a former thread but I want to bring it up again because it’s becoming a little annoying.

When driving gentle at 70-80 km/h in ICE mode I feel a little shaking. The same when going from EV mode to ICE mode passing through the transition zone very gently.

As soon as I drives faster through the zone the shaking is not really there and when going beyond 80 km/h.

When I release the throttle the shaking stops and comes back when I engage the throttle and accelerate.

Tony mentioned it could be normal behavior but I feel there could me more to it. Not that it’s a fault but I would like to hear if others have the same experience with the mk3?

Would this be state of art and a normal Toyota hybrid thing? 

Is the transition zone smoother in the mk4?

 Thanks!

[FROSTYBALLS]

Moved to the Yaris forum.

[JCT-DK]

Could it have something to do with a worn damper clutch letting the car oscillate?

[bathtub tom]

I suppose it could be wheel/tyre balance, but without a clutch you can't coast and find out.

[TonyHSD]

If you worry about it and you think it’s more than usual you can run some checks on your car and perhaps test drive another same model to compare. 
What can cause these vibrations or shaking issues are bad fuel - change to E5 or higher octane, add some petrol additives like injector cleaner or catalytic converter cleaner wynns does good ones. Check all 4 corners brakes , with wheels off the ground see if they rotate freely, stuck pistons or slider pins can cause pads to drag against the discs which will make transition between ev and ice rough, cause vibrations at speeds and wear off your parts , plus less efficient braking system., reduce regeneration. 
Another time when you can feel rough switching between ev and petrol is in heavy winds bad weather. When the car goes into Ice from ev and not under load if the a wind blows against you can make you feel like manual car pressing clutch and change gear up and release clutch to continue driving., when you do that slowly the car loses inertia and you can feel a shake, same with Toyota hybrids. 
I don’t think you have a bad damper. If you have this the car will detect it and set warning messages, or you can hear it if the springs are broken, there will be loud metallic bangs. 

[JCT-DK]

Hi Tony.

Thanks for a great answer.

I use fuel from Shell octane 100 only and sometimes add Liqui Moly fuel system cleaner.

It has' nt had any effect on the shaking.

The thing about the brakes could be a reason perhabs but since the shaking stops when i release the throttle i guess it has nothing to do with that.

I don't hear metallic bangs when going through the transition zone so i guess the damper is alright.

The shaking is more dominant when i drive gently and with less inertia. If i drive with more throttle the shaking is less prominant or not there.

You told me you also have a little bit of shaking in your car at speeds of 70-80 kmh?

Does the shaking stops when you release the gas og passes the 80 kmh mark?

 

[TonyHSD]

Shakil usual happens at low engine load and speeds of around 40mph then around 60mph. Thought be from egr, but it’s clean like new and functional. Anything on my car at the moment is like on a brand new one and the shaking has always been there. We had another Auris same spec and was exactly the same. Brakes are also good for the moment, all serviced recently and checked. All these shakes are more pronounced in heavy winds. 
Perhaps it could be from the road surfaces because usually happens at certain places and on both cars , ironically both cars been driven at exact same speed , load , places. 
Don’t worry unnecessary and less you you try to fix something that it isn’t obviously broken longer your car will live and serve you well. 
I have all the typical little  issues known for Toyota cars since I bought it 8 years ago, just did research and came to this conclusion, ain’t broken ain’t fixing it. Nothing real has worsen ever since and I am glad I didn’t spent my money and time looking into it. 👍 

[JCT-DK]

So far nothing is broken and I am happy with the car.

I am glad to hear that the shaking is pretty common and somehow kind of state of art for Toyota hybrids.

And yes it occurs at low engine loads with low inertia. Otherwise the hybrid system is very smooth.

I will keep an eye on it if gets worse or changes.

 

 

[JCT-DK]

The only thing that keeps me wondering it that the shaking stops when i release the gas.

Tony, will you please check if you find the same behaviour from your car?

Thanks!

[TonyHSD]

45 minutes ago, JCT-DK said:

The only thing that keeps me wondering it that the shaking stops when i release the gas.

Tony, will you please check if you find the same behaviour from your car?

Thanks!

I would say it is similar. If anything abnormal you think might be best to try another’s car and see if it does it too. If i was near you to test it myself it will be easy. Without seen direct comparison can’t really tell if there is a problem or not for sure. I had quite few hybrids and they all behave, sound, feel and drive the same, outside and inside. 

[JCT-DK]

I will try to make a comparison with a similar car.

My car is still under dealer warranty but i am afraid if i just ask they will say it's normal behaviour.

But i will you know the outcome.

[YarisHybrid2016]

Mk.3 hybrid?

Mine only shakes when wheel balance is out. 80 kph is 50 MPH, which is where mine can be bad.

I took it to a tyre house and asked them to CAREFULLY check and re-balance them. Not had a problem since (that was about 4 years ago, and it's had new tyres since).

[JCT-DK]

Yes mk.3 hybrid.

Bad wheel balance could be a reason but in my case the shaking stops when i release the gas - so i guess nothing to do with either the brakes or the wheel balance.

It's not like the whole car and steering wheel is shaking - it's a slight discomfort coming from the drivetrain i guess when i press the accelerator and it stops as i pass the 80 kmh mark.

[YarisHybrid2016]

What happens if you park the car, then press the accelerator to wake the ICE?

I'm just wondering if it is an engine mount. Not sure how that would manifest, but if it only occurs under acceleration, that is when the ICE is pulling.

Do you have any good hills you can roll down at idle/EV mode to see if it does it up to the point the ICE starts (>47 MPH)?

[JCT-DK]

The shaking only occurs in ICE under acceleration and around the transition zone going from EV to ICE and at a gentle load. If i go faster the shaking is not really there.

There is no shaking in EV mode.

I was wondering if it's state of art or do i simply drive too gently? Assuming the previous owner did drive more rapidly and the car got used to it and then suddenly it's experiencing a different style of driving?

If it was to be an engine mount the car would be shaking all the time when accelerating in ICE?

 

 

[YarisHybrid2016]

Not sure. It will depend on RPM and resonance.

I feel a slight bump, and can sometimes get it to sort of very softly judder as it can't quite decide whether to use ICE or MG2 to pull the car dead on 47 MPH, but I need to deliberately hold that speed on level road, and is quite hard to achieve. It's very subtle, too.

[JCT-DK]

I guess judder is a better word for it yes. Shaking is a little exaggerated.

And yes it feels like the car is being indecisive at that point whether to do this or that and only happens when I drive very gently with almost no load.

Resonance is also how I feel it.

 

 

[JCT-DK]

I addressed the problem to my dealer and was told that there shouldn’t be any vibrations other than perhaps a brake issue  but certainly not from the hybrid system itself.

I am having my yearly service on the 3. of October so hope to have a status report on the vibrations and how my dealer handled it.

[allanmcfish]

On 9/11/2023 at 5:52 PM, JCT-DK said:

I addressed the problem to my dealer and was told that there shouldn’t be any vibrations other than perhaps a brake issue  but certainly not from the hybrid system itself.

I am having my yearly service on the 3. of October so hope to have a status report on the vibrations and how my dealer handled it.

Hi JCT-DK.
Sorry for bringing up this old post.

DId you ever fixed your shaking? I'm having similar problems in the car that I recently bought.
This is my post

[JCT-DK]

Hi Allan.

I read your post regarding the shaking/vibration you feel inside the car.

Did you get rid of it?

I still have them but sometimes more gentle. I feel its like the engine stalling near the idle zone when going from EV to ICE very mildly. Just as you describe it.

 Its as the engine has a difficulty deciding whether to run in EV mode or ICE. 

The shaking also reminds me of a blocked EGR but then again the car accelerates very smoothly in all situations.

I am not sure if its simply state of the art at this particular 1,5 litre engine. You say you dont feel any vibrations in your Auris hybrid?

So far i have not any thing about it other than addressing it to my dealer. 

Kind regards

JCT

 

[allanmcfish]

On 2/28/2024 at 10:52 AM, JCT-DK said:

Hi Allan.

I read your post regarding the shaking/vibration you feel inside the car.

Did you get rid of it?

I still have them but sometimes more gentle. I feel its like the engine stalling near the idle zone when going from EV to ICE very mildly. Just as you describe it.

 Its as the engine has a difficulty deciding whether to run in EV mode or ICE. 

The shaking also reminds me of a blocked EGR but then again the car accelerates very smoothly in all situations.

I am not sure if its simply state of the art at this particular 1,5 litre engine. You say you dont feel any vibrations in your Auris hybrid?

So far i have not any thing about it other than addressing it to my dealer. 

Kind regards

JCT

 

Sorry for the delay. I responded to you in the private message.
For anyone reading I'm going to update on my post.

As for the Auris: I drove it recently and only if you pay careful attention and know what to look for you can feel some of this vibrations.
The general experience is totally different. In my Yaris 90% of the times the engine switches from electric to combustion it gives you a 'kick', in the Auris is 99% of the times imperceptible. It is completely another car.

[TonyHSD]

4 hours ago, allanmcfish said:

Sorry for the delay. I responded to you in the private message.
For anyone reading I'm going to update on my post.

As for the Auris: I drove it recently and only if you pay careful attention and know what to look for you can feel some of this vibrations.
The general experience is totally different. In my Yaris 90% of the times the engine switches from electric to combustion it gives you a 'kick', in the Auris is 99% of the times imperceptible. It is completely another car.

How you describe the shaking between electric and petrol there seems to be a problem with your car. Something that upsets your engine and the shaking and vibration as a following results. Very common reason for these events are misfire caused by bad fuel or blocked egr or injector issues, or coolant entering the combustion. There are so many things that can cause this behaviour. 
On a car with this mileage egr system clean and including throttle body its a good idea imo. 

[allanmcfish]

22 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

How you describe the shaking between electric and petrol there seems to be a problem with your car. Something that upsets your engine and the shaking and vibration as a following results. Very common reason for these events are misfire caused by bad fuel or blocked egr or injector issues, or coolant entering the combustion. There are so many things that can cause this behaviour. 
On a car with this mileage egr system clean and including throttle body its a good idea imo. 

Where would someone go to have this jobs done? Since the dealership wasnt bothered by it I guess I would need to go some place else.. Would I need to find a regular mechanic that has extensive knowledge of Toyota cars?

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, allanmcfish said:

Where would someone go to have this jobs done? Since the dealership wasnt bothered by it I guess I would need to go some place else.. Would I need to find a regular mechanic that has extensive knowledge of Toyota cars?

I would say these type of jobs are best done as diy if you can or by a mechanic who has worked on these cars and know how. It’s nothing so special but there are some important steps and things that needs to be done exactly. 
Hete an example of what we are talking about. 

 

[allanmcfish]

21 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

I would say these type of jobs are best done as diy if you can or by a mechanic who has worked on these cars and know how. It’s nothing so special but there are some important steps and things that needs to be done exactly. 
Hete an example of what we are talking about. 

 

Thanks! I would definitely need someone to help me do that. I can't even change the light bulbs on a car 😅